Adobe Buying Guide: Creative Cloud (CC) or CS6 – Which to Get?

When Creative Suite 6 arrived in 2012, there came with it a new way to buy Adobe software that the world had not seen before: the Creative Cloud. Traditionally, most Adobe products had only been sold with “perpetual” licensing that doesn’t expire. The flip side is that these best-in-class tools often come with a steep price tag that is out of reach for many folks – though there have always been substantial discounts when upgrading from recent older releases, plus much lower pricing for some market segments like students and teachers…

When Creative Cloud first entered the scene, there was (and still is) some uncertainty about what it meant and where it was going… But despite that skepticism, the Cloud has since gained strong adoption to become the company’s dominant product line with most customers choosing it over CS6, which Adobe still continues to sell for people who want it. With Creative Cloud you receive the newer “CC” release that succeeds CS6 as the latest and greatest toolset, and generally gets high ratings from users.

Adobe CC is available only via a subscription model which, yes, is cloud-based in some ways – but the name has been called confusing and misconceptions abound because in fact the major applications are not online or web-based, but still run locally on your computer as before. What’s more, the company has been clear that powerful tools like Photoshop may add some online capabilities but will never run completely in the cloud.

So at its core, this is primarily a different way of buying and using all the Adobe products you know and love (plus more). Creative Cloud membership is served as an “all-you-can-eat buffet” of the best software out there for any creative purpose, for one affordable monthly price ($29-$49/month standard in the US). The central premise is you can continue to use the same applications and services you always have – plus many more available at your disposal – with a term-based membership that includes ongoing product upgrades and new feature additions over the period.

What’s in Creative Cloud?

Creative Cloud contains new CC versions of all applications that were part of Creative Suite 6 (effectively the entire Master Collection), as well as others like Lightroom, Adobe Muse, Adobe Edge, plus a host of professional publishing services for getting your work out there. As noted, most of these components do not run over the network – they download and install on your system desktop just like normal, and only need to be connected to the Internet once every 99 days for annual membership revalidation.

That said, however, there is an online collaborative Cloud component envelop­ing it all which allows easy web-based file storage, sharing, browsing, and syncing between computers and devices. For those who don’t have a paid subscription, there is a free level of Creative Cloud membership that provides the same commu­nity features but with 2GB of free storage instead of 20GB… The best part about this cloud storage is that your colleagues or clients do not need to have any of the actual Adobe tools installed to view or comment on the files you upload.

CC or CS6 – Which Is Right for You?

So there have been a lot of changes in recent years – and with all these developments in mind, how do you decide which one to buy? The answer depends to a large extent on how you use the software, with these questions to ask:

How long will you be using the products?

How frequently do you usually [like to] upgrade?

Which Adobe programs do you want or need to use now?

Which tools would you like to expand to using in the future?

How nice is it to always have the latest releases and best features?

Do you own a prior product you can upgrade from, or would you buy full?

What will your regular annual costs be when comparing the two different options?

How important is it for the software that you use to be supported long into the future?

Before we get to some cost comparisons, it’s important to note that it’s not just about price. Adobe says they are supporting CS6 on the current releases of Windows and Mac OS, but do not have plans to support it on the next releases coming out from Microsoft and Apple… In other words, within less than a year it’s likely that CS6 will not be supported to run on newer operating systems. By contrast, Creative Cloud is a service as much as a product and will always be supported and updated for the latest platforms, devices, and technologies.

The cost of Creative Cloud is $US49.99/month for a yearly plan, or $74.99 when purchased month-to-month with the ability to turn it on and off as needed. It’s $29.99 per month for the first year for those upgrading from a prior Creative Suite product with Adobe’s introductory offer, and $19.99/month for current students and teachers. Doing the math that’s about $600/year for regular customers, $360 for CS upgraders, and $240 for education customers… In sum it’s around $1-$2 a day. So when you look at these plans versus the tradi­tional CS6 price sheet or the cost of upgrading your current tools, which is more attractive?

Well, if you’re a solid user of Creative Suite and a happy upgrader, then the Creative Cloud could be a good deal for you. The CS6 Master suite, for example, sells for $2,600 full, or $1,050 to upgrade from CS5 – and that is for an older static version that will never evolve or improve. So paying $1,200 spread over two years for CC (and $240 less for upgraders) could work out well considering that all upgrades and future support are included, and you can run the latest releases of all the top tools Adobe makes.

Or as Bloomberg Businessweek says, “One benefit is not having to lay out $2,500 every few years. It would take more than four years of monthly $50 subscription fees to reach the cost of an all-at-once software purchase, and the programs will always be up-to-date.”

But what if you don’t want the complete package? If you only use Photoshop (normally US$700-$1000 full, $200 upgrade) and Lightroom ($150 full, $80 upgrade) and don’t see yourself ever growing into other tools like Illustrator, Premiere Pro, Muse, or Acrobat, then there’s another choice: the new Photoshop Photography Bundle which includes both PS + LR for US$9.99 a month. And if you need any other single standalone application (like, say, After Effects CC), then see the next section below for a final possibility.

It goes without saying that the Cloud option is absolutely ideal for situa­tional and tempo­rary needs like project-based work, contract employment, freelancing, and so on – you only pay when you need it. It’s even possible to start out with a month-to-month membership if you want to see how you like it, after your 30-day free trial is up.

Single-App Membership – The Lesser-Known Option

If the complete Creative Cloud is too much, there’s an additional choice that many people aren’t aware of – Adobe also offers subscriptions for just a single tool like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat Pro, Premiere, and others for only $14-$19/month, and that low pricing is available to everybody… The sign-up and download is all online so you can get going right away – and all upgrades are included, so you’re always running the latest version.

Any of the new CC tools are available on an annual as well as month-to-month basis (start-and-stop) in all languages for both Windows and Mac together, so pretty flexible. And if you happen to decide later that you want to upgrade to the complete Creative Cloud package to access all applications (at any time), then Adobe will credit back your account for the remaining amount due on your existing membership.

So when you compare that pricing of $19/month versus $1,000 to buy (say) After Effects CS6, it’s definitely worth considering – and you’ll find all the details here:

Hi, Thank you that has really helped me. I think I will go for CC and get it on DVD as a backup (I live in a rural area and broadband is shocking).

One final question, I have just seen that Adobe are making a major announcement about a new update to CC. Should I wait to purchase until then…are they likely to have any better offers on after the announcement?

Sure Elle, glad to help. If you like, you can go with the CC free trials for 30 days (or even 60 days), download/install/run them and then take it from there.

And, as you probably are aware, all CC users will receive ongoing product upgrades included in membership, so there’s no issue about which versions you’ll get.

However, as far as price goes – on offers and deals – we don’t see any benefit to waiting because the CC 2014 Release will be shipping within a month and no matter what you purchase from Adobe, you can always return it within 30 days under their Refund Policy, and get something else instead.

So, if a better promotion happens to come out then like a price drop – and if all current Creative Cloud users don’t also get it (which is what usually happens, Adobe extends it to everyone) – then you can just return your order and exchange for that instead.

No offense, but this seems slanted towards CC. Most professional designers that I know are, well, busy. Too busy to really spend much time experimenting with new features and in the midst of too many critical path projects to run upgrades. For this group of people, who leverage their skill set with the tool they’ve been using for X number of months or years, three years is a very typical length of time to use a suite. So, factoring in a 36 month usage model, and great success with the suite as is, what advantages remain for CC at $50/month, totaling $1800 compared to the CS6 Design Standard $1300. That’s $500 more per seat, which in a studio means a really nice backup drive, flat screen display, or even a decent SLR.

Well, 36 months is a very long time in today’s world of technology… For example, 36 months ago only a few people had tablets (mostly the iPad 1), and Android was barely on the scene. Adobe really had to move faster than they were doing (which used to be releases every 18 months) to keep up with the rapid pace of change and platform development. The new App Store model has accelerated everything in software – can you imagine if the apps on your smartphone were only updated once every 1-2 years?

Regarding using and learning new features and programs, a top creative artist recently said: “We are not one-discipline designers anymore, so having many tools available is very important.”

Finally, no software is forever. Eventually it and the operating systems it runs on will become unsupported and obsolete… If you care about your work and are at all serious about your tools, you need to be maintaining and upgrading them, just like anything else important in your life.

But if nevertheless you still prefer the old way with static tools, then that remains available to you as well – Adobe is still selling CS6 from 2012.

Well I’m actually looking for just adobe after effects, without monthly subscription – is there a way to buy the latest version of adobe after effects without messing with creative cloud, monthly subscriptions or suites?

I use photoshop elements as a hobby, and I tend to go in spurts based on my job’s workload. For example, I may use photoshop frequently over a two-three month span, then not even open the program again for six months.

Is there a way I can subscribe to CC for a few months, pause my subscription for a few months so that I neither open the program nor pay for my subscription during those months, then resume my subscription and usage of the program?

Yes Lisa – that’s an advantage of CC in that you can set it up to pay only in the months that you want to use it…

On the sign-up page, you can choose either annual or month-to-month membership – in your case you would select the latter by specifying “Cancel at any time.” But you can just as easily restart at any time as well, whenever you want.

Note also that Adobe will be resetting the free CC trials at least once per year (as they just did with CC 2014), granting everyone a free new month of use annually.

Hello ProDesign, To answer your question; It is not too hard to imagine complex apps that are only updated every 2 years if they are serving the needs of the users. I’ll admit that user needs are ever-expanding, but it is primarily competition that drives the accelerated upgrade schedules we have today. (Well, that and commerce.)

And I don’t believe your hardware reference is fair. Tech hardware has a set standard inertia that must be maintained to satisfy “smaller, lighter, faster, better;” the so-called Moore’s Law of advancement, where as software need only satisfy the needs of a growing user base. And even we accept the hardware analogy, does that mean I should trade in my MacBook Pro, that is making me money, and set just the way I like, and keeping my clients happy, with the 12% faster MacBook Pro that was just announced as soon as it comes out? Should I spend time migrating my software, transferring over all my data and tweaking a new computer? No way. Sure it might mean that my render time is reduced by 15 to 20 minutes, but I’m not wasting that time anyway. And the setup process will take longer by a magnitude of 10. Likewise, just because I love Adobe, and my business lives on their software, doesn’t mean that what they release on December 1st is so monumentally superior to what I purchased back on January 1st, that I need to upgrade immediately. Adobe software rocks! If my January purchase was unreasonably slow and pathetic by December 1st I would not be using Adobe’s tools. More often than not, it does not begin to show signs of age until the following December. Add to that the fact that software programmers are excellent rather than perfect, I find it more efficient to make software upgrades 6 months after OS upgrades have come out, or 6-12 months after hardware upgrades (to take advantage of speed). Only when we notice a production need that is available in an update do we tend to move more right away.

THAT ALL SAID, I am convinced that I will go to Adobe Creative Cloud. The swath of presentation tools available make it a must have, and the “production need” of HTML5-savvy tools leave me no choice. But it was fun airing out why we don’t always “jump onboard.”

Have you got a reference for your statement in the article above saying that Adobe “do not have plans to support [CS6] on the next releases coming out from Microsoft and Apple”. I can’t find any reference to this on the Adobe site.

I’ve been using CC for over a year now. It was first a freebie from my school and then I went ahead and snagged it on sale for $20/month. Over the last year it started good, and aside from the constant nagging reminder of typekit to sign into CC so I can access the fonts I used from them (don’t ever f**king use typekit, it’s a huge hassle trying to stay connected to Adobe 27/7 to keep access to your fonts) enjoyable for a long time, then suddenly turned into an absolute nightmare with the release of CC 2014.

Being a cloud sub the update to a whole new platform was kind of done on autopilot and aside from a TOS acceptance I clicked past in a hurry to get back to work, there wasn’t much indication that anything was different from the rest of the updates, until I opened after effects by running it from an aep project instead of launching from the dock as-per my norm. Thats when CC quit being fun.

All of a sudden trapcode disappeared, along with all the other plugins I use. Well I quickly found that there were additional copies of every single CC app in applications. This is kind of a problem because with a new MBP, though lightning-fast and thin as you like, hard drive upgrades aren’t exactly affordable- just over $1/ gb. So now I’ve got to remove these old CC apps to get space back, but adobe doesn’t seem to have given me a tool to do so. No, after an hour of waiting for adobe support to get me to a rep and for that rep they tell me I have to manually uninstall, dragging all the apps, files, folders, prefs etc to the trash for every app. Great, there’s a half day gone, plus I have to re-install all the plugins. But wait, it gets better. Some apps, like After Effects, only support 1 level of backwards compatibility, I found out after removing it. Yes, in order to share a file with my colleague using CS6 I have to keep 2 copies of After effects, and should a file get saved in 2014, I have to save it to CC13, then open CC 13 and save it to CS6.

So, here, my sub is almost up, and the ONLY reason NOT to go back to CS6 is the massive amount of difficulty Adobe’s placed in my way in terms of keeping access to my own IP. But then I have to think, what about next year? What do I do when I have another year’s worth of IP tied up in the cloud and Adobe screws me over again? What do I do when Adobe decides to force more people on to CC by removing backwards compatibility from Photoshop and Illustrator?

After 1 year, I can tell you this: Stay Away. Or, if you’ve already bought into it, get out now. the more IP you have tied up in the rent-a-program scheme, the more screwed you are when it inevitably turns on you. I’m looking at a week’s worth of work to get myself disconnected from adobe’s ham-fisted micro-management of my workflow. Maybe next year it would be 2 weeks worth, or 3, or maybe I’d just have to sacrifice a few tens of thousands of dollars worth of my own IP to get out.

Hey Drew, typically on our site we discourage comments that are clearly rants – but in this case it seems educational to separate some of the things you are conflating together with the subscription model that in fact have always been this way, and are entirely unrelated…

The notion of saving back to older versions of Adobe tools – particularly those like After Effects and Premiere – has never been promised to be automatic, especially when going back more than one version. It’s always been that way, even with the old perpetual CS releases.

So this effort required to save down two versions is absolutely nothing new – it’s technical in nature, always has been – and has zero to do with Creative Cloud subscriptions in particular. People have been talking doing about that kind of thing with InDesign since CS5 and before.

Likewise, in every major cycle in the past – going back through all the Creative Suite launches – Adobe has always issued new builds of their products. CS6 did not update CS5, CS4, or CS3 in place; rather it installed a new version alongside. You could run both side-by-side at the same time and some people continue to do so.

There are many valid reasons for doing a separate installation instead of overwriting, not the least of which is being cautious about third-party plug-in compatibility between major releases.

So it’s exactly the same with the CC 2014 release following the CC 2013 release. Again, there is nothing new with that process and you seem to be conflating this with other matters.

If you have any constructive feedback or suggestions regarding these technical aspects of Adobe’s release provisioning, please feel free to submit them here.

Finally, regarding the question of cost and retention of access to your IP. After Effects CS6 is a $1000 program. Upgrades (AE CS5 to CS6) cost $350. But you can get a Single-App Membership to After Effects CC – with all ongoing upgrades included – for $20/month.

If you are serious about your work, how many years of paying the $20 would equate to that large upfront cost, while you continue to be able to use the state-of-the-art tools with the latest-and-greatest capabilities and perfor­mance – and the improved productivity that brings? And if you don’t have $20, where are you going to find many hundreds or even thousands of dollars to buy and maintain the software?

The entire world will get at least 1-2 free months of usage every year with the new free trial editions that Adobe regularly issues. And even those folks who would like to try to run an old perpetual version indefinitely will encounter challenges as their static software or hardware likely fails or becomes unsupported over time… So, nothing is truly forever in technology.

Hi Malvin, Adobe has stated many times (like here and here) that the regular and ongoing price of the CC Photography Plan is $9.99/mo. – that is not a promo­tional rate – and that customers should not expect cost increases from the company because none are planned.

It does require an annual subscription to get that low price, meaning 12 months of commitment. However, if you ever want to upgrade to the Complete Creative Cloud (with all the tools & services) from the Photoshop/Lightroom plan, then you can do that at any time without penalty.

As a student or teacher, your first year of the Complete Creative Cloud will be only $19.99 a month, which is 60% off the regular commercial price (or even lower now at $15.99/month with Adobe’s current Black Friday Deals).

Then after the first year, education customers normally pay the regular academic rate, which is $29.99/month for the entire package. But if you just want the Photoshop & Lightroom bundle, then expect that to stay at $9.99 indefinitely even after the first year.

No, you don’t Alisa – and that’s a good question. Here’s a short list of some of the things you get with CC, but not with CS6:

– The latest desktop releases of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and more – Integrated set of cloud-connected services – Your own personal ProSite portfolio website – Tens of thousands of dollars of Typekit desktop and web fonts – 20 GB of online cloud storage for syncing, sharing and collaboration – Ongoing upgrades and updates for all included applications and services – Free use of thousands of high-quality creative assets in Creative Cloud Market – Download and use of prior releases (CC 2013, CS6) if desired

Adobe has also been clear that they will not update CS6 any further, not even for hardware or operating system compatibility – so that means that CS6 may not run and/or will not be supported on the next major releases of Windows or Mac OS.

Finally, regarding the training videos you asked about – Adobe recently opened up full & free access to the hundreds of exclusive online video tutorials in Creative Cloud Learn; however most of the training courses are written for the latest CC 2014 release rather than CS6 from 2012.

could someone please help me? im only 16 and i have no idea what im doing, i got Creative cloud because i loved using Cs6 in school and wanted to use it at home.

but it’s CC? i just want CS6 and have been all over the adobe website looking at things like redemption codes and serial numbers and crap i don’t understand. i found Cs6 but it costs over $1000!? while CC is like $47? and let’s me choose whether i want to pay monthly or yearly. why does the older version cost more??

i can’t even ask why on the contact us page because i have to select all these “what kind of question is this” things that have nothing to do with my question.

Sure Ella, we’d be happy to explain. With the older CS6 release from 2012, you paid a huge amount upfront and then could use the software indefinitely, however any future upgrades were not included (the software was static), so eventually it would become unsupported and obsolete.

With Adobe CC by contrast, you pay a small affordable amount monthly but can use every major creative tool & service that Adobe offers, plus you get all ongoing upgrades included at no extra cost as soon as they’re available. So basically it’s subscription access instead of upfront purchase.

Here is a handy point-by-point comparison chart for the two different options:

While my initial investment was large, each upgrade was purchased for around $600 dollars, and staggered about 2 years apart.

This article needs updating as to 2014/15 costs. For existing CS customers, Adobe now wants 20 dollars a month for access to only ONE piece of software. Existing CS customers who want access to the full suite will now be charged $50 a month. And that price is only guaranteed for 2 years. As they lock in more and more, costs will rise further.

With the new subscription model, my costs would now double. I fail to see the cost advantage for any existing user base.

First off, the pricing for Creative Cloud has never gone up – it has only fallen since Adobe first introduced subscriptions… As more and more customers have signed up for CC, the average price paid (or ARPU) has continued to drop.

Second, your claimed upgrade costs are not reflective for most people. Adobe still sells/upgrades CS6 direct so you can check the prices yourself. The cost to upgrade to CS6 is only $600 for the lowest possible suite (Design Standard), which contains just four apps. If you want to upgrade (CS5 -> CS6) the more common Design/Web Premium or Master Collection suites, then the costs are $750 and $1050, respectively.

And what you didn’t say is that the Creative Cloud contains far more than even Master Collection ever did – CC includes all of Adobe’s major tools & services, plus all ongoing product upgrades.

Finally, you’re completely forgetting the upfront costs required for the old CS line – we’re talking paying $1,300-$2,600 for a suite. All that is gone with CC, with no prohibitive upfront costs at all.

So your presumption that the article needs updating to 2015 prices is off base… If anything, CC has only gotten less expensive since this article was written. In fact, top applications like Adobe Photoshop + Lightroom can now be had for as little as $9.99/month – which is far cheaper than any ($1.000+) perpetual license ever was.

I’ve purchased elements 12 and lr 5, I recently bought a new laptop and would like to transfer the lr 5 over to my new device but have since lost the box with the serial #, is there a way to locate it on my old computer that lr5 is installed on already ??

Last year I purchased the entire Creative Suite CS6 program for over $700.00 Now Adobe has upgraded to CC. and my $700.00 purchase isn’t now obsolete! They’re not compatible!!! This is highway robbery. How dare these guys rip me off like that. I strongly feel that these programs should be compatible or they should have only offered the program on monthly payments like they are now. I refuse to let Adobe get away with this. I’m going to contact my lawyer. Adobe’s approach is very unfair! I feel as though I was taken advantage of.

Hey Nick, what exactly did you buy, and from whom? CS6 came out in 2012, the same time as Creative Cloud! So you’ve had an open option for one or the other since that time… Then CS6 was replaced with the newer CC release in 2013, almost two years ago now… Meaning, if you bought CS6 last year, then you were already not buying the latest version available.

In any event, how exactly did Adobe rip you off? The software still works the same as it did the day you bought it, doesn’t it?

If you’re talking about file incompatibilities, then there have always been changes to application file formats between major Adobe releases (including going back to CS1, CS2, CS3, CS4, CS5, CS6, and CC). The reason is because that’s how all of the products grow and add features, and get better over time by supporting more functionality and capabilities within their saved formats.

So such unavoidable side effects have been a fact of life with Adobe upgrades forever… One big advantage of CC is that all subscribers receive the latest versions as soon as they’re available at no additional charge. In other words, ongoing upgrades are included – and newer tools will open previous file formats.

No, not at all Brian – US$29.99/month is the regular education price for the complete Creative Cloud and there is nothing special you need to do to continue that. In other words, as a student or teacher there is no limit on how long you can get that standard academic discount, and no higher price tier is applicable.

As with all things in this world, the price could edge up or down – but as far as we are aware, Adobe has no plans to change it. Still, if it’s something you want to guarantee, then you can lock in that price for as many years as you want (provided you qualify in future years as well) by following the instructions here:

@ProDesignTools So you’re telling me that I have to continually pay money to use new adobe software. Fictional example; I am a subscriber of the cloud, I have been for 5 years. I have paid roughly $3000.00 towards the use of adobe software over monthly payments of $50.00. I now decide that I do not want to use the cloud anymore. I now have no software and now am out another $3000.00. This in toll sounds like adobe wants you to rent their software and pay little incentives for each use. I feel that the subscriber should own the previous software that they have been paying to use. Relating back to the fictional example; I am a 5 year subscriber who decided to stop using the cloud, I have paid $3000.00 towards adobe software. I am now disconnected from the cloud, but I now have older versions of adobe software installed on my computer with a continuing lifetime licence. I believe there should be more of an incentive to paying monthly/yearly rental fees for an infinite number of years. Especially for students who are not receiving incomes or students who are going to evidently be flooded with debt in the future. This is the vibe I get from “creative cloud” = You own nothing but your work; & you still owe us each month.

Well, the alternative is to buy CS6 Master Collection – which contains much less than CC 2014 does now… That was the last perpetual release but costs $2,600 upfront just to get in the door… And that’s for static software with no upgrades (those upgrades have typically cost over $1,000 additional each time) and tools that never evolve with new features, performance improvements, or ongoing hardware and o/s support.

With Creative Cloud, by contrast, you always have access to download and run the latest releases of all the top tools that Adobe makes. In fact, now over 1,000 new features and enhancements have been added to CC since CS6 came out three years ago.

Or as Bloomberg Businessweek says, “One benefit is not having to lay out $2,500 every few years. It would take more than four years of monthly $50 subscription fees to reach the cost of an all-at-once software purchase, and the programs will always be up-to-date.”

But if you don’t want or need the complete Creative Cloud then you can get a single-app subscription instead for quite a bit less, or if you just need PS then you can grab the CC Photography Bundle with the latest Photoshop CC + Lightroom 5 (over $1,000 of software) for just $10 a month, with ongoing upgrades included.

@scooby doo When do the monthly increments stop rising? I am a U student and would start out at paying $19.99 a month. The second year $29.99. When do they stop? Also what are the real risks of licences being deactivated?

I also agree with other user posts that this article appears to be slanted towards the use of the cloud, I have also noticed that there are adobe advertisements all over this site. It probably isn’t wise to speak your mind about a company that is paying you for ad space now is it?

@scooby doo I didn’t realize this is an adobe owned website. :) Understand that my view point is from that of a full time university student who is not receiving a monthly income and is paying for school through loans.